At one Circle Pines church, they prepare for three different types of services at once, each for a different comfort level. On Fridays at Good Shepherd Lutheran, a small group records parts of a service that are edited together to be used online. On Sunday morning, its Parking Lot Church outside. Pastor Ted Diedrick addresses the congregation sitting in their cars over a low power radio frequency.
“We were looking for something a little more interactive to get people here together,” Diedrick says. “They can’t visit and hug, but obviously they can see each other in the vehicles.”
When it started several weeks ago, it was the first in-person fellowship parishioners had experienced in weeks.
“That’s a very key aspect of the church. We all are here to praise God, but there’s a strong sense of community here,” Diedrick says. “People get along and that is a key part of the ministry here.”
The next step occurred more recently with the first indoor church service in about three months. Seating was carefully marked and only allowed in every third pew. The maximum started with a limit of about 55 worshippers inside.
But even as the governor relaxes the rules further, it might not mean everyone returns right away.
“This just isn’t going to fill up,” says Pastor Diedrick. “There are a lot of people who are very concerned and the biggest thing is we want to do well and what is safe for our parishioners and we want to do what is legal.”
Pastor Diedrick says it’s been a journey, but he’s excited to see things moving in the right direction.
